A seven-vehicle collision snarled traffic at the intersection of Highway 61 and Old Towne Road in West Ashley Wednesday morning, with Charleston police confirming injuries from the crash are non-life-threatening. Emergency crews remained at the scene as officers worked to clear the wreckage and manage the flow of vehicles through the busy corridor.
According to WCBD News 2, the Charleston Police Department reported that emergency crews were at the scene of the seven-vehicle collision in West Ashley, pinpointing the location as Highway 61 and Old Towne Road. WCSC Live 5 News similarly reported that police responded to the scene of a multiple-vehicle collision in Charleston Wednesday morning, confirming the crash occurred at that same intersection.
Injuries Reported, Traffic Rerouted
Officials reported that the collision caused non-life-threatening injuries, a detail confirmed in both the WCBD News 2 and Live 5 News accounts of the crash. Charleston police said traffic on Highway 61 traveling away from downtown was being diverted onto Old Towne Road as crews worked to manage the scene, according to the department's report.
It remains unclear whether the road is closed or how long it will remain closed, the station's report noted. No information has been released describing how the seven vehicles collided or what caused the crash.
Echoes of a 2021 Crash at the Same Spot
This is not the first time this stretch of Highway 61 has seen major traffic disruption following a wreck. In September 2021, a crash at the same intersection of Highway 61 and Old Towne Road prompted Charleston police to close all southbound lanes, with Live 5 News reporting the highway later reopened once crews cleared the scene.
During that 2021 incident, all southbound Highway 61 traffic was reportedly diverted to Old Towne Road and St. Andrew's Boulevard, and the Charleston Police Department described the collision at the time as a serious one. The repeated pattern of diversions at this intersection underscores how disruptive crashes at this junction can be for West Ashley commuters, though it is not known whether Wednesday's collision shares any connection to the earlier incident beyond location.
No further details have been released about the extent of the road closure, the number of people treated, or what led to Wednesday's pileup. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available.
